The Hellboy Universe Comics
`The Mike Mignola's Hellboy series was first introduced, along with Hellboy himself, in ''San Diego Comic Con Comics'' #2, published August 1993. As the series has progressed, it has grown to include numerous spin-offs all sharing continuity within the Hellboy Universe. Publication Lines :see also: [[:Category:Story|List of '''Hellboy Universe' stories]]'' :see also: 'Trade Paperback Collections' '' Hellboy :''see also: [[:Category:Hellboy_story|List of '''Hellboy' stories]]'' The first title, Hellboy, originally followed Hellboy's career as a part of the B.P.R.D., then later Hellboy went solo following the events of Conqueror Worm. The stories increasingly focused on mythological themes and Hellboy's destiny within the supernatural world. Hellboy in Hell was a departure for the Hellboy comics in that it was not a miniseries or one-shot, but rather an ongoing comic with irregular release dates starting its numbering at #1. It has its own trade paperback line much like B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth does. ''Abe Sapien :''see also: [[:Category:Abe_Sapien_story|List of '''Abe Sapien' stories]]'' This series follows Abe Sapien's solo adventures. The earliest Abe Sapien stories have been collected in the first volume of the B.P.R.D. trades. Beginning with The Drowning, the series was released in its own line of trade paperbacks. Volumes 3 to 8 cover the ''Dark and Terrible'' cycle. ''Lobster Johnson :''see also: [[:Category:Lobster_Johnson_story|List of '''Lobster Johnson' stories]]'' Lobster Johnson focuses the pulp adventures of "The Lobster" and his crew as they fight against mad scientists, Nazis and supernatural foes. ''B.P.R.D :''see also: [[:Category:B.P.R.D._story|List of '''B.P.R.D.' stories]]'' Following Hellboy's departure from the Bureau at the end of Conqueror Worm, B.P.R.D. was spun-off into its own line of comics. B.P.R.D. continued to follow the adventures of established characters like Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, Roger and Kate Corrigan, but has also introduced new characters like Johann Kraus, Ben Daimio and Panya, and even delves into the B.P.R.D.'s past. The series is largely divided into three cycles: Plague of Frogs, Hell on Earth, and The Devil You Know. ''Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder :''see also: [[:Category:Witchfinder story|List of '''Witchfinder' stories]]'' Witchfinder depicts the adventures of occult detective and agent for Queen Victoria, Sir Edward Grey. ''Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. :''see also: [[:Category:Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. story|List of '''Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.' stories]]'' Kicking off in 1952, this series follows Hellboy's career at the B.P.R.D. chronologically. ''Frankenstein This series began with the ''Frankenstein Underground miniseries, with the Frankenstein Monster as he appeared in Hellboy: House of the Living Dead as he journeyed into the Hollow Earth in the 1950s. The miniseries canonizes Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. One-shot miniseries Rather than being fully fledged series, these titles are limited to a single trade. ''Sledgehammer 44 :''see also: [[:Category:Sledgehammer 44 story|List of '''Sledgehammer 44' stories]]'' Beginning in 1944, Sledgehammer 44 follows the story of the second Vril Energy Suit, Epimetheus, and its various pilots. This was originally intended to span multiple trades (as evidenced by the "1" on the book's spine), but as the story developed, it worked better as a single book and flashback elements in the B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth series. ''Rise of the Black Flame Set in May, 1923, ''Rise of the Black Flame shows how the first Black Flame came to be. It also introduces Sarah Jewell, a member of The Silver Lantern Club and friend of Sir Edward Grey. ''The Visitor: How & Why He Stayed This five-issue miniseries explores the story of the alien Hellboy met in ''Conqueror Worm from 1944 to 2001. ''Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon Focused on Trevor Bruttenholm and Rasputin during World War II, this five-issue miniseries takes a closer look at "The Master." Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson have discussed the possibility that this may be the first in a series, but it was designed as a one-shot miniseries. Koshchei the Deathless Koshchei finds Hellboy in Hell, and tells him his tale in this six-issue miniseries. Ben Stenbeck has said this was originally a trilogy that became a single book. He also hinted that additional books may appear in the ''Koshchei series, but there are none currently planned. ''Crimson Lotus Agents Dai Jieh, Shengli, and Baolu are pursued by the Crimson Lotus in 1930s China. Story Publication Timeline This chart records the first time an in-continuity story was published in the Hellboy Universe. It does not list every time a story was published, nor where the story was published. For that and other information see the articles on individual stories. Titles with a "#" before the number denote actual issue numbers. Numbers without a "#" are part numbers, within some other larger publication. Stories Out of Continuity A number of stories have featured Hellboy and related characters but are not a part of ''Hellboy continuity. Such stories include: * Hellboy Junior (Oct 1997, Oct–Nov 1999, Jan 2004), showing the (mis)adventures of a Hellboy still in Hell before coming to Earth * The Astromagnet and The Kabandha (2002), two short stories created as promos for Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game''Scott Allie stated that neither "The Astromagnet" nor "The Kabandha" are canon in the January B.P.R.D. member email * ''Hellboy: Weird Tales #1–8 (Feb 2003 – Apr 2004, every two months) a collection of other writers' takes on Hellboy * Hellboy Animated comics (Oct 2006 – Dec 2007) further expanding the Hellboy Animated world * Hellboy: The Golden Army (Jan 2008) a promotional tie-in for Hellboy II: The Golden Army * Itty Bitty Hellboy #1-5 (Aug–Dec 2013), an out-of-continuity children's comic book spin-off created by Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani * Itty Bitty Hellboy: The Search for the Were-Jaguar #1–4 (Nov 2015 – Feb 2016) * Official Hellboy crossovers ** ''Ghost/Hellboy'' #1-2 (May-Jun 1996) ** Painkiller Jane / Hellboy #1 (Aug 1998) ** Batman/Hellboy/Starman (Jan–Feb 1999) ** Hellboy / Beasts of Burden: Sacrifice (Oct 2010) ** Sabrina Meets Hellboy (Apr 2015), a back up story within an out-of-continuity crossover between Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics for ''Archie vs. Predator'' #1 * Numerous Hellboy guest appearances in other comics ** John Byrne's Next Men: Faith – Part 3 (Dec 1993) ** ''Danger Unlimited'' #4 (May 1994), a two-panel cameo ** ''Shi/Cyblade: The Battle for Independents'' #1 (1995) ** ''Madman Comics'' #5 (Jan 1995) ** Babe 2 #1-2 (Mar–Apr 1995), Abe Sapien co-stars while Hellboy appears in the second issue. Instead of the B.P.R.D., both Abe and Hellboy work for the B.P.I.D., which stands for Bureau of Paranormal Investigation and Defense. ** Body Bags #1 (Sep 1996), one-page cameo by Hellboy and Abe Sapien lookalikes ** ''Gen 13'' Volume 2 #13C (Nov 1996) ** ''Savage Dragon'' #34–35 , 41, 51 (Dec 1996, Feb 1997, Sep 1997, Jul 1998) ** The Heretic #4 (Mar 1997), two-panel cameo ** ''Sin City: Hell and Back'' #7 (Jan 2000), one-panel cameo in hallucination ** The Goon #7 (Jun 2004) ** Criminal Macabre / The Goon: When Freaks Collide (Jul 2011), appears in the last page ** ''Beerkada ''(Mar 2018), a comic strip where Hellboy is credited as "Anaung Belle Rama" as a spoof of an actual actress in the Philippines named Anabelle Rama. It is occasionally unclear whether a story should be considered canon. As a general rule, stories reprinted in a normal Hellboy or related Trade Paperbacks can safely be seen as within continuity, while those not reprinted, or reprinted in some other way can be assumed outside of continuity. Notes Hellboy Universe Comics, The